The Right Ending: In Death, There is Sacrifice
by Inkweaver1324
Summary: 9 has set out on his new quest to recieve the right ending to his tale. He can see his goal, but he will encounter many obstacles while he attempts to find his path to what he strives so hard to achieve.
1. Chapter 1

Ok, book 2! Wo0t I'm excited are you?

**PROLOGUE: THE FLAMES DANCE AGAIN**

It had been three days since the stranger had told the story, and he had said that the tale would continue tonight. The moon was not full, but it showed bright on the area. You go and take your original seat in front of the fire and lit the flames. Small embers rose first, and in a few minutes the fire rolled again. Just like before, the stranger, that you now know as the writer, appeared as if from nowhere.

"Do you wish to hear the second part of my tale now?" he asked in an inquisitive voice.

"Yes, of cource!" you reply.

"Good..." the writer said.

From the satchel he wore on him the writer pulled a stack of paper. On the top page in bold letters it read,

_**The Right Ending: In Death, There is Sacrifice**_

Thinking that the stranger would go on to read the pages, you are surprised when the Writer tosses it into the flames. You are about to shout questions of what the stranger was doing, but you are hushed when he speaks first.

"Do not worry, reader, for I know the story by heart."

As the flames licked their hot tongues at the pages, the writer begins the story.

"9 knows of what his purpose is, and he knows his goal. But how he will fufill that purpose, how he will achieve his goal, he does not know. He can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but first he must wander in the dark to find his path."

And so did the flames begin to dance again.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 1: TOUGH SITUATIONS**

_How do I get myself into these situations!_

It was strange that 9 had time to think at a time like this. He had just jumped from a crashing airplane over the ruins of California without a parachute. In his right hand he held 5's crossbow, one needle loaded into the weapon. Since 9 didn't put on a parachute, he still wore his backpack carrying his retracted lightstaff as well as it's additional equipment that 7 had made for him. He was hurtling towards 5 and the Pilot machine that had caused the plane to malfunction. The pilot had tackled 5 out of the plane in an attempt to get the last parachute, and now the two struggled over it as they plummeted to the earth. 9 looked past them to see where the others were, but they had most likely already drifted back to the ground at this point. 9 had only had a few seconds to think about what he was going to do before jumping from the heap of metal, and now he went over the plan again in his mind. He would fire the crossbow bolt at the head of the machine struggling with 5, then 5 would be able to free the parachute from it's claws and give it to 9 so that they could land safely. 9 would have to calculate the wind's affect on the needle, as well as how 9 would fire from a falling position above the two other beings. He would also have to make sure not to hit 5, and he couldn't miss either since he only had one shot. As the last few clouds started to fly past him he could clearly see the west coast of what had been America.

_Now or never, _9 thought, _and I prefer now._

9 tucked in his arms, adding to his speed so that he could get in for a better shot. Through the struggling 5 caught a glimpse at 9, and 9 took that brief second to motion 5 to move out of the way. 5 noticed the crossbow in 9's hand, and instantly knew what the other stitch was planning on doing. 5 turned his head back towards the machine and pushed the parachute towards the Pilot, giving the other stitch enough momentum to get out of the way. The Pilot was caught off-guard by 5's movement, but then it just sneered and began to put on the parachute, it hadn't noticed 9. He lined up his shot with the crossbow, and fired. Since he was already being pulled by gravity, the needle cut thru the air at unimaginable speed. 5 gasped, but the sound was muffled by the wind.

9 had missed.


	3. Chapter 3

Ok, things are gunna gradualy pick up. But please! Try and review each chapter people!

**CHAPTER 2: SUNSHINE**

9 hadn't had that long to think of a new plan. The machine had noticed the needle fly past it's head and was now fully aware of his presence. The ground was flying up at them at great speed, if 9 couldn't get the parachute within the next 60 seconds, he would be crushed to death upon landing. He saw that the Pilot was getting ready to pull the parachute string, and that was when 9 made his move. He tucked his arms in tighter, hurtleing himself at the beast. The little stitchpunk landed on the machine's back, and held strong. The machine couldn't reach 9 in the state of their current condition, and 9 took that advantage. He only had approximately 30 seconds left, and he waitsted no time. He took the old knife he still kept inside his skin and began cutting at one of the parachute straps.

25 seconds.

The machine struggled against 9, but was powerless. 9 cut the last few strands of the strap then went on to the next one.

20 seconds.

5 was still falling a little ways away from 9, but 9 didn't take the time to see how 5 was holding up. The machine was struggling profusely now, and 9 was having trouble cutting the other strap.

15 seconds.

9 cut as hard as he could, but he had only gotten halfway through the strap.

10 seconds.

9 sighed in relief as the strap gave way rendering the parachute useless. They had almost reached the ground, and 9 turned his head to 5. 9 pushed himself away from the pilot, reaching his hand out to the other stitch.

5 seconds.

The two stiches hands connected, and with his free arm 5 pulled his parachute cord. The white fabric flew out of the backpack, slightly pulling the two stitches in the air as it suddenly caught the air. 5 had now hooked his arms under 9's keeping 9 from plummeting to the earth like the machine. They were still falling to fast, and would most likely still have been killed if the parachute hadn't gotten caught in the branches of a long dead tree. As the two stitches hung there, suspended, it was very quite. 5 broke the silence with sheer laughter,

"I can't believe you did that!" He said.

9 could see his own smile in the metal of 5's new eyepatch.

"You know me, I live for the adventure!" He said sarcasticly.

"Well, you should make sure that you tell 7 about this once we get out of this tree...hand me your knife will you?"

9 complied with his friends request, passing the knife up to 5 so that he could cut them loose. The two stitches slowly climbed down the branches, and once their feet were finally on the ground 9 asked,

"So where did the others land? We all have to regroup before heading out."

5 thought for a moment.

"I think I saw 6 land somewhere in that direction,"

5 pointed to what 9 believed was an eastward direction,

"we should start with him. 6 isn't one for being alone."

9 silently aggreed, and the two began walking towards where 5 had been pointing. After only a few minutes of walking the pair found 6's parachute, but no 6.

"6?" 9 yelled, "6! Are you out here!"

Just then something grabbed 5 from the back, causing him to scream. 9 turned around to see 6 laughing excessively with his hands behind his back while 5 attempted to regain his composure. 6 didn't look injured, but 9 was surprised at a lack of one of 6's possestions.

"6, where's your key? Did you lose it?"

6 stopped laughing and turned his gaze to 9.

"Not lost, key served it's purpose, now its gone."

6 showed 9 what he had been holding behind his back. It was a human bracelet, but for a stitchpunk it was more of the equivalent of a necklace. It was made of simple silver metal, with half of a "torn" rectangle to serve as the emblem. 9 had remembered what these items were called, friendship bracelets. Two humans would each hold one half of the emblem so that when the two were together the full message could be read. 6's half read "Brot-" which 9 guessed was half of "Brother".

"Does F6 have the other half of the message then 6?" 9 asked.

The striped stitch nodded,

"It's our connection. Without a connection we can't speak to each other after the families are divided."

5 didn't understand what 6 was talking about, but he realized that this was something between the artist and 9.

"Do you know where F6 is then?"

6 nodded again, and led the two other stitches back to the road. After walking for a few minutes, the group reached a massive toppled sign. It was riddled with bullet holes and bent in several places, but the message was still easy to read.

"Welcome to California! The Sunshine State!"

6's face looked very inquisitive, and with his finger he traced over the word _sunshine._ The artist then looked up in the air at the grey, smoggy sky.

"There is no sunshine here, where did the sunshine go 9?"

"The machines took it away 6," 9 said.

He turned his gaze from the little artist to the ruins ahead.

"But we're going to get it back."


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you one person for your reviews, sorry I can't remember your name at this point in time.

**CHAPTER 3: NOTHING IS THE SAME**

6 led 5 and 9 to the ruins to find F6. Now that he had finally calmed down from the rush of jumping out of the plane 9 could feel how damaged he actually was. His entire skeletal stucture felt sore, and he had gotten several tears in his fabric from hitting the tree branches. His index finger on his right hand was especially sore, and it was most likely broken. Since 5 had left his medical supplies on the plane 9 would have to wait untill they found everyone before he could fix his injuries.

As 9 looked around the ruins of this new city he knew immediatly that before the war it must have been a very beautifull place.

"It's so different from our home," 5 said, "nothing is the same."

9 didn't neccesarily know if that was completely true, since this new place, California, looked just as destroyed as the place of their birth. The group found another parachute lying next to a toppled mail dropbox. 5 and 9 waited outside while 6 went into the dropbox, returning about a minute later with F6. The two were quite the pair, writer and artist, and their personalities seemed the most intertwined out of the rest of the two families. As 9 had expected, around F6's neck he wore the other half of the friendship bracelet, his emblem reading "-her". 6 was standing to F6's right and so when they put the two emblems together the full word "Brother" was spelled out. The two 6s smiled brightly, like two children without a care in the world. Of coarce, they didn't come here for a vacation, they had a job to do, but that didn't seem to stop the two brothers. 9 asked F6 if he knew where anyone else was, and the writer responded with a happy nod. Without speaking he turned to 6, and the two seemed to have a silent conversation, much like the twins. F6 went back inside the dropbox for a moment and returned with a few old letters. From his satchel he took a small jar of black ink that he had gotten off of the plane handed it to 6. On his envelope F6 wrote what seemed like directions or descriptions of some kind, 9 couldn't read it because F6 wrote in what looked to be old style coligraphy. 6 understood though, and transfered the sentances into a map on his envelope. At the top of the map 6 wrote, _New California._ Riddled amung the various shapes which 9 believed to be buildings were several X's. Clearly the X's represented where their friends had landed, but it seemed like they were spread out over the whole city.

"6, it would take us forever to gather everyone, there has to be a simpler way."

F6 tapped 6's shoulder to get his attention, then pointed to one of the sentances. 6 nodded, then pointed to a relativly large square on the map.

"Church, like the Sanctuary, just smaller. Church has belltower, ring the bell, and others will come."

It seemed as good a plan as any, so the group of four set off towards the center of the city, where the church seemed to be. 9 continued to look around the ruins. 5 had been right, nothing was the same here, and yet it was. Although before the war this place had clearly been much different than their home, everywhere he looked he saw the same results of the war. Ruins and destruction were all that he could see, and yet 9 felt different as he looked around him. When he had been at home all the ruins and emptyness had just made him feel more alone in the world. But now 9 knew that there was much more to the world than just the destroyed town of their origin, and that brought 9 hope. Hope that they could find more of their kind, hope that not all the machines were evil, hope that the world could return to what it had been. 9 couldn't do much with just hope, but that didn't mean he couldn't try.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 4: NEW BEGINNINGS**

They reached the church after walking for about ten minutes, thankfully it wasn't destroyed and the belltower still seemed to be in working condition. Although 6 had been right in saying that the church was much smaller than their old sanctuary, it still looked very large. Since there wasn't a bucket lift as with the sanctuary the stitches had to climb massive amounts of stairs to reach the top of the belltower. 9 had decided, he would never climb another stair again. From their perch high in the tower the stitches could see for what looked like miles, the city stretching on for what seemed like eternity. 9 had almost expected to see the factory in the distance, but everything was forein to him. Dylan had explained that the O.V.E.R.M.I.N.D was actually on the other side of the country, in the area called Washington DC. The human explained that DC had been the capital of the country, he also told of all the historic places and how the leader of the country resided there. There was so much knowledge to be had about the Old World, as Dylan called it. But would learning about the Old World be helpfull or harmfull? In a way it was both, because while it may help the stitches learn how to better rebuild the world, it could surely just lead to the same old mistakes. This made 9 rethink the outcome of the war, was it the end, or just a new beginning? He didn't know. What if everything had happened for a reason? What if the war was a way of cleaning the slate of all the humans' mistakes so that they could start anew? So many questions, yet so few answers. 9 looked around him, at the city, at his friends, at himself. The answers were somewhere, he would just have to find them.

But this was not the time for getting answers.

Ringing the bell would be much harder than expected, since 9 didn't think the bell would be as large as it was. In the times of the past one would just have to pull the rope with one's hand and the bell would toll, and the stitchpunks small stature didn't help with that. They couldn't attach a weight to the bell either, since the rope needed to be pulled down then let back up again. It was with these realizations that 5 came up with one of his strangest plans that 9 could ever remember his friend suggesting. Usually 5 thought things out, but apparently something had changed him into being more of a...free spirit.

Without warning 5 had run at the rope, jumped, and began to swing back and forth on it.

"Come on!" he called, "We'll need all of us to do this, and besides, it's fun!"

9 couldn't think of a time when he and 5 had ever truely just "had fun", 5 had always either been to timid or scared to do anything drastic or out-of-the-box before. 6 and F6 quickly obliged 5's request and jumped on as well. After a moment 9 decided to jump as well.

But he realized to late that he had jumped short.

A scream began to form on 9's lips, but it never came. 5 had caught 9's hand before he fell down the shaft of the bell tower.

With the combined weight of the four stitches coupled with the rope swinging, the once silent tower filled with the tolls of the large bell. The sound seemed to resonate off the walls, bouncing off this and that, before heading out into the city. The stitches rang the bell for a full minute, then one by one jumped off the rope back onto the perch.

"That should get the others here quick." 5 said with a smile.

Through the coarse of an hour 9, 5 and the 6s watched as their friends gathered into the old church. 7 came first, F7 coming in soon after. The two pairs of twins were ushered inside with the 2s, and the others came in riding Caleb. 9 now remembered how funny it had looked when Dylan had strapped a harness onto the dog so that the human could hold him when the two jumped from the plane. 7 questioned 9 on his injuries, but 9 said that he would explain the situation to everyone once he got fixed up by F5. The group made themselves at home in the church with the few supplies they had been able to take with them off of the plane. After another hour of waiting and talking Dylan carried 9 to the front of the room and placed the stitch on the lectern where readers would stand in the Old World. Everyone else sat in the few remaining pews that weren't missing or stacked against the front door. Clearly some humans had attempted to hide here during the war.

(If you are not familiar with the design of a church the room is mostly filled with pews, which are basicly special benches that churchgoers sit in during mass. At the front of the church is an altar along with a lecturn where the priest would take readings from the bible. In the church that the stitches are in most of the pews are broken or missing. 9 is standing on the lectern addressing them.)

"Alright, we all know why we came here to America, but now we need to go over the details." 9 said, he waved a hand over to Dylan, who stepped up to the lectern to speak.

"We are on the western side of America, but the O.V.E.R.M.I.N.D. is on the oppisite side, in the ruins of Washington DC. The O.V.E.R.M.I.N.D. is currently making troops for the supposed uprising back home. While it is distracted with making soldiers, it won't know that we are actually in the country. This will give us time to traverse the cities across the country that the scientist's collegues were living in. Most of them were in the major cities, so we will make a route for ourselves with that information. Our plan is to go to these cities and attempt to recruit as many allies as possible."

9 spoke again,

"I know this next part is going to confuse some of you, but I know that you all trust me. 6 says that we can find allies and foes in anyone, wether they are stitch, human, machine, or anything else. If we do encounter someone, we have to be carefull. Anyone can be an ally, and anyone can be an enemy."

Dylan took his turn,

"So after we gather as many allies as we can, we attack DC and take out the O.V.E.R.M.I.N.D. any questions?"

1 stood from his seat,

"When do we begin, then?"

"As soon as we're ready." 9 answered.

Surprisingly, 1 accepted that answer, and took his seat again. 7 stood next.

"What do we do after the O.V.E.R.M.I.N.D. is defeated then?"

Many of the others nodded and spoke in agreement.

"We figure that out when we get to it. Our first priority is to stop the O.V.E.R.M.I.N.D."

With that, the meeting was over, and all the stitches went about their own business. Even after answering 7's question 9 pondered it in his mind. They had all known since the beginning that they were supposed to preserve life, rebuild the world, but how do you rebuild an entire world? 9 didn't know, but he didn't have time to consider it because just then the machines attacked.


	6. Chapter 6

Ok, I know now that California is not the sunshine state, I got it mixed up with Florida. But obviously if you are still reading it didn't bother you guys that much. Also, I have recieved comments on the whole, "They need to cross the whole country" thing, and I can only say that everything is planned out. So without further adew, lets get on with the story!

**CHAPTER 5: SCRAP METAL**

Clearly the machines had been hiding the entire time, waiting for the right moment to strike. They came in from every entrance, some even smashing through the windows, leaving shards of stained glass strewn across the once holy building. The stitches had been caught off guard, and were divided around the entire room. The machines had superior numbers, but seemed very weak, standing possibly 8-10 inches tall. At the very begining of the battle 6 cried out,

"Scrappers! Scrappers everywere!"

This statement was explained when 9 saw that the machines seemed to be made from various pieces of scrap metal, each one differing slightly from one another. The stitches either ran to weapons or tactical positions. 9 attempted to run to his pack where his lightstaff was, but was cut off when one of the Scrappers landed right in front of him. 9 stood unmoving in fear as the machine readied its attack, but it never came. Before his optics the machine split in half vertically, showing 7 on the other side. The warrior then turned and ran to 9's pack, grabbed the lightstaff, and threw it to 9. The staff unfolded in mid-air, and 9 caught it skillfuly. He turned around two see two more Scrappers coming toward him. 9 swung the staff and connected with the machine on the left, and then jumped back to avoid the other's attack. He now found himself facing back-to-back with 7 as more Scrappers surrounded them. Between parries and counters 7 asked 9 without turning,

"So, how did you get cut up again?-" she sliced another machine in half across the waist, "You never told me."

"Well you see-" 9 blocked another attack, then countered with a bash to the machine's head. "I may have jumped out of a plane without a parachute."

7 sidestepped a vertical slash from one of the Scrapper's blades, then placed a foot on the weapon using it as leverage to leap into the air and kick the machine in the face, sending it into a few of its comrades.

"You WHAT!" She yelled, her voice actually sounding more impressed than angry.

"The Pilot machine tackled 5 out of the plane with the last parachute, what was I supposed to do!" 9 sent the butt end of his staff through the chest of one of the Scrappers.

"I swear you are becoming more like me every day." 7 said as she decapitated another machine.

The group of Scrappers that had surrounded the two were now taking a few steps back, re-evaluating the situation. 9 took this moment to see how everyone else was doing.

Dylan was standing near the altar, kicking and stepping on the tiny creatures with ease. The stitches had seemed to mostly divide with their counterparts, since they had broken up as so after the speech. The 1s were holding their own fine, yelling out obsurd comments now and then. 9 believed that he heard 1 yell,

"You beings are petty! I should make another hat from your hides!"

The 2s and 5s had moved to slightly higher ground on top of a rubble pile, tactically fending off the Scrappers. At the base of the pile 9 noticed the two sets of twins pull two ends of a rope, tripping up a large group of the machines, as if it were just a game. The 6s seemed to be getting a lot of resistance, 9 thought that the two would have hidden immediatly, but this was not so. From his satchel F6 had taken out a very well made knife, and was dispatching the machines with ease, but the two were slowly being overrun since 6 was not fighting. The artist attempted to run but F6 held his brother firmly, and tossed 6 another knife. With his pen-nib fingers 6 couldn't get a good grip on the knife, and dropped it. The artist went to pick up the weapon when another Scrapper came up from behind, raising its blade.

"Brother, move!" F6 shouted, 9 realised that this was the first time F6 had spoken, and was surprised that he had Dylan's voice. 6 turned to see the blade coming down on him and out of pure reaction thrusted his hand at the beast. A few seconds later 6 opened his optics to see that his claw-like fingers had pierced right through the machine's chest, and it fell to the ground dead. 6 turned to his brother, who smiled, and so the artist joined the fight as well.

F7 was alone, since 7 was aiding 9, but seemed to be handling the Scrappers easily. 8 was attempting to protect his counterpart, thinking that she would be more frail than 6 on the battlefield. The guardian was surprised to see that F8 was weilding a bow, with a quiver of needle arrows on her back. Her face was one of complete focus, and she sent arrows through the heads of Scrappers from clear across the room. Those that got too close met an end at 8's mighty blade. F9 and F10 were fighting together in a corner, F9 attacking the machines with the chain of his pocketwatch. 9 had to look again when he saw F10's combat style. The stitch seemed to be punching his bare fists through the machine's chests, but at other moments he seemed to just place his palm on their heads and they would fall over, lifeless. On the other side of the room 9 saw what looked to be a much larger Scrapper, possibly 15 inches tall. It was clearly the leader, and from its perch in one of the windows it lined up a shot with what looked to be some kind of harpoon gun. 9 followed the line of the shot to see were the gunman was aiming, which turned out to be right at Dylan's head.


	7. Chapter 7

For a long time I wanted to include music into this story, since a lot of music inspires me to write. I found out were I'm gunna put it in, but it's not for a while, so sorry.

**CHAPTER 6: MAD DASH**

The fighting raged on, more and more Scrappers continued to join the fight. It seemed like their numbers were endless, but 9 wasn't focusing on any of this.

9 didn't wait to see if the gunman was pulling the trigger. 9 yelled as loud as he could,

"Dylan! DUCK!"

Dylan took about one second to understand before reacting. The gunman had noticed that Dylan had been warned and had fired prematurly, missing Dylans head by a mere inch. Seeing the projectile fly by Dylan ducked behind the lecturn. As he did, his hand brushed against a small piece of metal, cool to the touch. The boy readjusted himself behind the lecturn to see what it was, and his eyes went wide.

"9 get over here! You need to see this!"

9 debated arguing that there were more important things to deal with at the moment, but without looking 7 responded,

"Go 9, I got you covered."

9 dashed for the lecturn, ducking under another harpoon from the gunman. As he ran, Scrappers charged at him from both sides, but they all met a quick death at 7's blade. He finally reached Dylan behind the lecturn, gasping for breath. The room was filled with the sounds of battle; Metal scraping against metal, the splintering of wood, the whiz of arrows. The Scrappers did not let out death cries, but fell to the floor with the clatter of their lifeless bodies. 9 asked what Dylan had wanted to show him, and the human lifted the stitch up onto the small shelf located in the back end of the lecturn where papers and books would have been. From the shelf 9 was instructed to look up, and what he saw truely amazed him. Inside the wood above him were three holes in a triangular formation, just like the ones that had been on the Fabricator Machine. Above the slot for the talisman were two words forged in metal that read,

_The Order_

9 was hesitant to insert his talisman into the slot, remembering all the trouble that had arose before. He turned to Dylan, asking what he should do.

"I think you should do it, the slot was obvioulsy there for a reason."

"But what if something terrible happens? I can't live with anymore guilt, Dylan."

"9, we can't fight these things forever, eventually they will overtake us. This may be our only chance to get out of this alive."

That had done it for 9. Without further hesitation he removed his talisman from his body and placed it into the slot. The metal words glowed green with the talismans light, and 9 heard a faint _click._ This reminded him of when he had used 6's key to open the box with the prophecy, and his curiosity began to kick in.

"I wonder..." he said, mostly to himself.

9 turned the talisman one fourth of a rotation to the left, and he heard another clicking sound, then a low rumble. Both Dylan and 9 turned to see the altar move by itself, revealing a passage underneath it. 7 was the first to react.

"Everyone! We are getting out of here! Let's move!"

With that, 7 began cutting a path for the rest of the stitches, dodging harpoons from the gunman. Slowly everyone entered the escape route, fighting off more Scrappers as they did so. 9 was distracted with all of the commotion, and didn't see the harpoon fly towards him. 7 however, did.

She tackled 9 out of the way, causing him to throw the talisman into the air. The harpoon, which turned out to actually be a claw, caught the talisman in mid-fall. The gunman then started retracting the line that the hook was attached to, pulling the talisman toward him slowly. 7 hadn't noticed, and cut a path for 9 to the escape route. She looked back as she reached it to see 9 running back for the talisman. With a silent curse she ran after him.

9 dove towards the talisman, grabbing it. He still continued to be pulled by the gunman, however, giving him vague memories of when the Seamstress had taken 7. But this time, 7 was with him.

She ran past 9, toward the gunman. Through all of the commotion, one of the Scrappers tripped, falling to its hands and knees. 7 used the fallen enemy as a vault, leaping off of it's back into the air. Using the forward momentum of the jump, she thrust out a leg, kicking the gunman's torso. As 7 rebounded of of its chest the harpoon gun clatered to the ground, which 9 hastily picked up. He looked back at the escape route, and could just make out 5's head.

"9! It's closing!"

7 landed next to 9 gracefully, and then the two of them began running as fast as they could toward the closing passage. This would have reminded 9 of when they were running out of the factory, except he seemed to be a bit less clumsy this time. 7 still ran much faster though, and made it to the escape hatch. The passage was almost closed, and 9 ran faster, the Scrappers right behind him. At the last second 9 ducked into a slide on his back, squeezing through the small opening in the passage before it slammed shut.

Everyone stared at 9, who was gasping for breath. 9 walked over to 5, handing him the harpoon gun.

"That's to make up for losing the crossbow."


	8. Chapter 8

Ok you know me, after a big action scene I usually doa chapter of talking amung the characters, along with some plot details. So this will be as such, enjoy and please review!

**CHAPTER 7: TUNNELS**

5 had completely forgotten about how his old crossbow had been lost when he and 9 had crashed into the tree. He admired the weapon, and smiled at his friend,

"This is a very impressive piece of work, thanks." He said.

1 huffed,

"I am still waiting for my new cape."

The tunnel was silent, but then slight chuckles arose, then complete laughter. 9 couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so much, it was nice. After everything died down again, Dylan turned to the path ahead.

"We should get moving, see where this leads."

Dylan put 9 on his shoulder again, so that he could light the way with his staff. During the fighting Caleb had hid, being overly surprised by the attack. Now he followed behind Dylan, Carrying most of the stitches. 7 walked next to the dog, her skullmet up. The 6s followed behind her, whispering to each other. All that 9 could hear were the groups footsteps and his own inner workings.

The tunnel was dark anywhere 9's yellow light did not reach, and it was not very spacious. The walls were hastily dug out, and were very rough stone. The ground was packed dirt, some of it being kicked up with every step Dylan took. The ceiling hung low, and it got to a point when Dylan had to crouch down to continue. At this point in time the tunnel was approximately 3 feet wide and 4 feet high. Dylan stood at a reasonable 5'5, and so he had to crouch down quite low. The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, but only after walking for around five minutes the tunnel stopped at a awkward looking wood door. It was covered in old webs, and the wood was splintered in some places. Dylan attempted to push it open, but it didn't budge. He then shoved the door a little harder, and it collapsed into the room behind it. The door kicked up a large cloud of dust, and Dylan coughed as he walked into the room. The ceiling was around 7 feet high inside, and Dylan was happy that he didn't have to bend over any more. The room was about 40 by 30 feet. In the center of the room was a rectangular table, and on the wall closest to it was a board with papers pinned to it.

"What is this place?" Dylan asked.

No one answered, since they all were wondering the same thing. The spread around the room, examining it. Dylan put 9 on the table, and 7 climbed up as well. Dylan looked over the papers pinned to the board. They consisted of things from note pages and faded photographs to old newspaper clippings. None of them seemed to have any value now, but whoever had made this tunnel, this, mysterious "Order" had probably thought them important. Dylan had decided that it would be a good place to stay for a while, and was looking for a place to sleep when the 2s and 5s came running up.

"9! Come see this! It may be of some use." 5 said.

9 looked down at them from the table and Dylan turned from the board. The stitches were holding a large piece of rolled paper, and Dylan bent down and picked it up from them. By this time everyone else had gathered around the table, and Dylan helped them all up onto the surface. The stitches stood in a lond line on the edge of the table, and Dylan rolled out the paper in front of them. They examined the paper, which was an old, yet very detailed map of the city.

"This is perfect!" Dylan said.

He noticed that some of the stitches were looking at him questioningly, so he explained.

"I had been thinking on how you guys could get all the way to the other side of the country and still- you know- make an army. I think I thought of a way, and this is going to help. When the war started heating up, the Americans made a railway for a military train that literally went through every major city and streched across the entire country. They used it to transport troops and supplies anywhere they were needed. The machines didn't destroy it when they invaded, either. Instead they kept it in tact so that they could use it as an advantage. If I'm right, it's still in working condition. One of the train stations that it stopped at is here."

Dylan pointed to a building in the north eastern corner of town.

"The church was in the center of town, so all we need to do is get to the station. From the control room we can find out were the train is. If we're lucky, it's somewhere close by. Then we just need to get to the train, and we can get anywhere in the country."

9 looked over the map,

"But what if the station isn't there anymore? Or what if the train isn't anywhere close?"

"Then we think up something else. We won't know where the train is untill we get to the station, and there is a way to see if it's still there."

Dylan turned to 6 and his brother, who had been watching silently with all the others.

"Do you still have that map you made of the city 6?"

The artist shook his head.

"Could you make a new one?"

6 nodded.

"Good, get to work on it now, and tell us when you're done."

6 was able to finish the map in only a few minutes, and it confirmed that the station was still standing and in tact. With the two maps the group followed the tunnel network to the closest exit. It then took a few more minutes to find the building, and get to the control room. With the 2s and 5s working together, they were able to rewire the control board to get it back in working condition. It started up with a low hum and several lights appeared on a board depicting a map of the country. Dylan looked over the lights, then broke out in laughter.

"I can't believe its there of all places!" He yelled.

9 looked over at the boy in confusion.

"What where is it? Where are we going?"

Dylan was silent for a second, then turned to the stitches with a crazy smile.

"We're goin to Vegas!"


	9. Chapter 9

C'mon peeps I crave for your reviews! I waited so long because I was really hoping to hear what you had to say about the last few chapters, that way I know what to change. But that's enough of that, I can't force you, now on with the story!

**CHAPTER 8: ALL FOR 1**

"Vegas? Where is that? Is it a human city?" 9 always had so many questions when it came to new things.

Dylan was still smiling, he apparently was very pleased about their next destination.

"It was sort of like a human city, but it was more of a staple of American culture. If you lived in America, you knew about Vegas, and most likely you would want to go there. It was just one of those places that was completely alien to the rest of the country, it was just so different. The lights, the strip, you could do anything there. Well, of cource not _anything, _but some people really thought so. It was anything goes in Vegas, so that's why it was called Sin City."

"I don't know if I like the sound of that..." 9 said.

"It really isn't that bad. Anywhere in this world there are good places, and bad places. That's because everywhere there are good and bad people. But Vegas wasn't impervious, the war most likely left it dark and gray like the rest of the world..."

Dylan's face sagged at this, and 9 knew he shouldn't ask anymore. 9 was about to walk away when Dylan added one more thing,

"We'll leave in the morning, It will take at least a few weeks to get there, even if we move at a fast pace. It depends on a lot of things, maybe we could get one of the not so badly destroyed vehicles working again, but those things are for another time."

Dylan crossed his arms on the table, and layed his head on them in a slouched over position,

"Good night."

9 gave a little smile, and patted the humans head with his metal hand,

"Good night, Dylan."

The human was asleep in minutes, and most of the stitches dosed off soon after. 7 stayed awake a little bit longer with F7, but with being underground, there didn't seem to be any reason to stand guard. In the dim light 9 had seen 7 slump against F7, resting her head in the crook of his neck. Once again, 9 felt his chest burn up. What was this emotion that he kept feeling?

"It's called jealosy boy."

9's thought process was broken as he snapped his head to see 1 standing behind him. 9 still couldn't get past seeing 1 without all of his adornments, it was as if he was a new person.

"Jealosy?" He asked.

1's eyes narrowed a bit, which didn't seem like much since he seemed to endlessly squint. He puckered his face like a human tasting something sour.

"It is a strange emotion, and it weakens you, like all emotions do. It does not weaken you physically, but it does do strange things to your soul. Some are good, others not, but all can cloud your judgement. But jealosy is something different then other emotions, for it is only present when it's sister emotion, love, is also there. Jealosy arises when you see something- or someone- that you love showing emotions for something or someone that you do not feel the same way for. In your case, your love for 7 breeds jealosy when you see how well she connects with her counterpart.

"But I don't-" 9 began,

"Do not try to hide your emotions, 9. Not only is it worse to hide your emotions then not have any at all, but it is also clearly obvious that you care for her."

9 was silent for a moment, then sighed.

"I just don't want anything bad to happen to her. I-I mean I don't want anything bad to happen to anyone...but especially not her."

"Hmm..." 1 replied. The old stitch then proceeded to take a seat next to 9, dangling his feet off the edge of the table.

"It is your job to be our savior, as it is my job to protect us. But I did not succeed at that, because truly you must also protect us. Your purpose isn't just to be the savior, because you cannot do that without everyone else. You also need to _absorb,_ and learn from those around you. You've learned from 6 to expect and believe anything, you've learned from 7 how to fight and defend others, now you must learn to protect. Do you believe that you can protect us?"

9 took a long moment to think over his answer, then sadly said,

"No, no I don't think I can protect us."

1 awkwardly patted 9's shoulder, then quickly took his hand back.

"You don't necessarily have to do everything by yourself, 9. That is why we are here. From the begining we have been guiding you, teaching you. You just have to apply that knowledge."

9 waited to hear the rest of what 1 had to say.

"There was...a saying...that the humans had. You have not heard it before, but something tells me you will remember it, as if from a past life."

9 was now looking at 1 very inquisitivly. 1 then extended an open hand to 9, and said.

"All for 1..."

It took 9 a few seconds for it to register, but then he did remember. He took 1's hand in his, and held it tightly in a soldierly bond.

"And 1 for all."

1 smiled, but then swiftly took his hand away. He stood, brushing himself off. He wanted to tell 9 never to mention this to any of the others, but then he simply said,

"To bed now, you need your rest."

(Thought the quote fitted the two well, and of coarce I changed one to 1, it just made it even better. I'm telling you now, keep track of how many times that quote is said from here on.)

9 silently complied, and slowly climbed down the table leg and went to his bed. His optics closed, and for the first time in a long time, he believed he would stay in the bliss of sleep without interuption. Only after a few hours of sleep though, he awoke to whispers in the darkness.

9 didn't get up, because somehow he knew what was occuring. From his half-opened optics he could see 6 standing, watching the event take place. One by one, F1 silently woke the rest of the F-series, whispered to them silently, and then got them in line. F1 then led his family into the next part of the tunnel, and 9 didn't stop him. Both 9 and 6 had known that the F-series would make their own path, they just didn't know when. The one thing that kept 9 from calling them back was that 9 knew. He knew that even though they would take a different path, when it really counted, they would arive at the same destination.

(Yep, this is toodles for the F-series for a while, but don't worry, they get their own side story so that nothing is left out.)

9 saw 6 hold his brothers hand, and he saw the sadness on his face when F1 pulled the writer away. 6 stared at where they had been long after the F-series had vanished from sight. 7 hadn't even awoken from F7 leaving her side, and the twins didn't realize their female counterparts leave them either. Their group had now been cut in half, and it would take a lot of explaining in the morning. But 9 didn't deal with it at the moment, instead he slept.

Everything would change in the morning. Now that all was silent, 9 believed he could hear the rain again. Why did everything change when the rain came? He did not know.

There were so many things he did not know.


	10. Chapter 10

Alright, no more F-Series...*sniff* I miss them already! But they're not gone forever. Not only do they 1. Come back, 2. Get their own side story, but 6 and F6 have themselves a little secret!

**CHAPTER 9: PREPARATIONS**

9 awoke to 7 violently shaking him awake.

"9! 9 get up! The F's are gone!"

9 got up calmly, stretched, and rubbed his optic.

"I know 7, I know they're gone." Was all he said.

7 grabbed his chin so that she could turn his face. His optics met hers immediately.

"9, I don't think you're hearing me. The F's are GONE!"

9 took her hand from his chin and held it in his hand tightly.

"7, I _know_ they are gone. I will explain it when everyone's awake."

"Everyone is awake...we were all waiting for you."

7's words were much quieter, and she sounded like a small girl that hadn't gotten her way, and this greatly surprised 9. He had never seen 7 show so much emotion, and as far as he knew she only acted like this around him.

"Then I'll go clear everything up now."

The two went from the sleeping area- which was now a little smaller since the F-series took the supplies that belonged to themp- over to the table. Dylan held 9 up in front of everyone else so that 9 could explain. Except for 6, everyone seemed to wear faces of either sadness or confusion, and in 1's case, anger. Dylan seemed to be the most upset, which made sense since the F-series had been created from his soul, and without them around he probably felt very empty.

"Everyone." 9 spoke with the voice of a leader, of a person with knowledge and understanding.

"You have all clearly realized that the others are no longer with us, but do not worry. They needed to find their own path, just like we did. We hadn't stayed as a full family right from the start, and the others most likely felt like they were living in our shadows, since they were just based off of us. They need to learn that they are unique, and different. The only way to do that, was for them to leave. But they will come back, you need to believe that. They will come back when we need them, and then they will be here to stay. We still have a job to do, and we won't be able to stop the O.V.E.R.M.I.N.D. by just standing around. We need to get to Vegas, and we need to get there fast, so let's move!"

No one gave any objections, instead the group split up to gather supplies and discuss plans. Dylan put 9 down on the table so that he could gather some supplies for himself, which consisted of a few maps, the papers from the note board, and his pack. 9 hadn't really taken notice of Dylan's pack before. From what he could tell it was packed with food, water, medical supplies, and extra clothing. 9 had obviously realized that Dylan did not carry any sort of weapon, and he didn't know how he felt about that. He also didn't know why he seemed to care so much about Dylan not having a weapon, or why it bothered him.

So many things he did not know.

Dylan had brought 2 and 5 with him to find some type of transportation that the group could use. Dylan had explained that even though he would not have been legal age to drive, he still knew how. Also, he expected there to be little to no traffic. Most of the cars and trucks seemed destroyed beyond repair, and Dylan didn't want to venture too far from the exit of the tunnel, which was disguised as a sewer grate. Just when he thought there wouldn't be anything to find, he saw an old garage that seemed mostly in tact. After breaking down the door with minimal effort, Dylan explored the garage. His face brightened when his eyes fell on it. In near mint condition- at least compared to the rest of the vehicles- sat a motorbike. Dylan was not familiar with motorbikes, but he knew he could drive it. Dylan told 2 and 5 that he would need a few tools and scrap, along with some gasoline. The small group got to work immediately. (Yeah, who doesn't want to drive a motorcycle through the desert to Vegas in a post-apocalyptic world?)

9 had begun to realize that whenever he got to thinking for too long of a period something always interrupted his thought, so he wasn't surprised when he felt a tap on his shoulder to attain his attention. He was surprised, however, when he saw that it was 6.

"Very good speech, you said all the right words, although some were not true."

9's face went from surprise to confusion.

"What do you mean by not true?"

6's face showed that the answer was not good.

"You said they would come back, which is true...partially."

9 was getting nervous, his voice rose, shaking 6 a little by the shoulders.

"Just spit it out 6! What do you mean?"

6's face shifted to a combination of fear and sadness.

"They won't all be coming back."


	11. Chapter 11

I HAVE THE URGE TO MAKE THE MOST CLICHE POST APOCOLYPTIC SCENE EVAR AND YOU WILL READ IT!

**CHAPTER 10: VEGAS**

9 was holding 6 by the shoulders, hard.

"6...what do you mean by **they won't come back**?"

6's face looked like he was on the verge of tears, he studdered and wouldn't give 9 an answer.

"You need to tell me these things 6! Why didn't you tell me! How am I supposed to do anything if you don't TELL ME!"

9 was shacking 6, digging his fingers into the artist's shoulders. 6 closed his optics tight and looked away, dry sobbing and whispering to himself, saying it will be okay. 6's legs gave out and he attempted to roll up into a ball.

This snapped 9 out of it, and he realized what he was doing. He loosened his grip on 6 and kneeled down with 6, shifting his position into a hug. 6 nuzzled his head into 9's chest, dangling his zipper. 9 ruffled his hand through 6's hair, the other hand patting his back.

"I'm sorry 6...I'm so sorry, it's just that-"

"Don't be sorry..."

9 looked down to see that 6 was now looking up at him. 9 could see his reflection in his optics, and 9 didn't seem to recognize the person that met his gaze in the glass of 6's optics. He had changed so much in such a short time, he had matured, but that wasn't all. When the B.R.A.I.N. had been defeated, and he stood there looking up at the rain with 7 and the twins, he truly believed that he knew who he was, and what his place was in the world. Now he didn't know who he was, and after what he had just done to 6, he might as well be a monster.

"How can I not be sorry 6? I shouldn't act like that around you, I shouldn't make you feel the way you feel right now."

"Don't be sorry..." 6 said again. "You carry so much guilt, and you carry it alone on your own accord. No one placed this weight on you, you place it on yourself. The person that's restricted you, that's held you back, is yourself."

6 stood up, and started walking away from 9. He turned his head back, clutching his half of the friendship bracelet that had replaced his key.

"Don't be sorry."

9 had wanted to follow after him, but he heard the opening of the grate that covered the exit to the tunnel, meaning that 2, 5, and Dylan had come back.

The crowd gathered at the exit to meet them, but only 2 and 5 stood before them. 9 made his way to the front of the crowd, and upon realizing that a member was missing, he asked,

"Where's Dylan? Did he find us a way to get to Vegas?"

2 and 5 looked at each other and smiled. 2 turned and began to walk out of the tunnel, and 5 motioned the others to follow them with a wave of his hand. The stitches climbed out of the tunnel to see Dylan with a huge smirk on his face.

Apparently 9 had been correct when he thought that Dylan kept several different types of clothing in his pack, because Dylan now was wearing a new set of blue jeans- these ones without tears- a dark brown t-shirt, and over everything a black leather trenchcoat. Dylan was sitting on some type of vehicular device, which had clearly been worked on. The metal had been polished to a shine, and the paint looked new, covering most of the bike with a jet black. On the side of the bike in red cusive letters read _Inkstayned._

"What is that thing, Dylan?" 9 asked.

Dylan's smile grew a little wider.

"This is what's going to get us to Vegas, look."

Dylan rotated his right hand back on the handle bar and the bike lurched forward with the roar of a powerful engine. The stitches jumped back, surprised. Dylan immediately shot forward a few feet, then he turned to show that on the other side of the bike was a sidecar.

"That's incredible Dylan!" 9 said, approaching the vehicle. When he noticed how small the actual sidecar was however, he asked,

"But...where will Caleb ride?"

"How could you not have noticed?"

"Noticed what?" 9's face was now one of concern.

"Ok, I'll explain. The night the F-series left, I couldn't sleep, so when they started packing their things, I didn't really know what to do, so I settled on telling Caleb to follow them, to keep them safe. I can't believe you hadn't realized he was gone, then again, he does sort of wander a lot."

Dylan was right, how could 9 have not noticed? Now he felt like an idiot.

"Dylan, I'm sorry. It's just tha-"

"Hey, no problem, don't be sorry. Everyone makes mistakes. It's not like it affected anything."

Hearing the familiar term that 6 had told him only a few minutes ago made him stop, and so he moved on to other things.

"So when do we leave?"

From the sidecar Dylan took out a sleek black motorcycle helmet, and put it on. It completely covered his face, but 9 could tell that Dylan was still smiling.

"Right now."

The stitches packed all of their things into the sidecar then jumped in as well, and they were off. The roads were mostly destroyed or littered with broken cars, but Dylan was able to carve out a route.

After making it out of the city on a crumbling highway, the land became very different. They had been riding for only a few hours and the now very packed city had become a wide open desert. Between the wind and the speed that Dylan was driving his duster jacket ends flapped backward. 9 could see that the sun was setting, and sure enough, it was dark within the next half hour. Dylan yelled from behind the helmet so that the stitches could hear,

"We're almost there! It won't be long now!"

He was right. As the moon- which was full that night- rose above the desert with a blue glow, lighting the earth.

"Don't get too excited, like I said, it's probably destroyed."

The bike slowly drove over a particularly large sand dune, and once at the top the entire group gasped in unison.

Off in the distance, a large city stood, surrounded by a wall. Only the tops of particualy large buildings could be seen, but the entire city was alive with light, meaning there were others there.

Meaning the world was not dead.

"Welcome to Vegas."


	12. Chapter 12

Ok guys, this is an OOC chapter, kuz i needs to speak with you. I haven't written anything in a long time, I know, its because of school. I had theater and was taking 12 hour school days for rehearsal practice. Now I'm back, and I'm looking over my work. This means I looked at the trilogy and the Truths books, and theres a problem. At least in my opinion, this isn't 9 anymore. I wrote this because I wanted to move the 9 universe forward in the wait for a sequel- which from a source that may or may not be trusted, has stated that a sequel has been officialy announced. But don't get your hopes up, because I don't believe it yet. But, in case you didn't know, Acker did reveal his next short. Its basicly about two demons in hell, one blind and one mute, which leads to a really sad story of miscommunication. Anyway, back on topic. If you really do like these, of cource I will continue, because I like them too. I'm just upset because it doesn't feel like the 9 I love. Planes, trains, all the action without anyone dying just isn't 9. 9 to me is a dark gritty survival film and that's what it deserves to be. This goes for everything I've written, but I don't necessarily want to stop it, I do however want to try and make the 9 sequel that feels like it could be a real 9 sequel, I want to keep that dark, mysterious, depressing feeling that it has. Will I bring the others back to life? Maybe, if I can find a way that I think even Shane himself would believe. Although, that may not be the case, I would still have them as characters. How you ask? I would have them just be there as spirits, literally. Kinda like in star wars, get me? This won't be the "happy story where everyone lives happily ever after" but it also won't be the "everyone dies because its just violent" story.

So this is what I'm going to do:

-Truths and The Right Ending ARE ON HOLD. This will be indefinately unless at least ONE PERSON says that it's worth continuing. I know how the story goes, so I'm not writing it for me, I write it to share my brain with you, and if you don't want it, then it's done.

BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS

I will immediately start the new 9 sequel and I will keep it realistic to the 9 universe. Does that mean no OC's? Maybe, maybe...although I don't think Shane would put in new stitchpunks, I don't think I could resist that. But it definately won't be an overflow of them like in the past writings.

There is a title!

This new project is called 9: Blood-Rust. It will be rated at least T, and that does not mean PG13, I mean like 14, 15, or 16. It will be dark, it will be sad, it will be what you expect 9 to be.

Something I'm really proud of this time is that I have an artist.

So, that means this will be a joint project between FF and Devart

Also, I like RP'ing, who doesn't right? I didn't say it on this but friends and I are making a 9 proboard for RPing and i would luv to meet some of u guys and your characters.

Why am I saying this? Trust me, it isn't advertising. It's because if Shane makes a sequel, I don't think it will be just because the 9 franchise made good money, I really think he's going to look into the fanbase. There are reports- that I don't feel like digging up- that state if someone made a character (stitchpunk or machine) had an idea, setting, or anything that is good enough, he would love to use it.

SO, I want to hear your OC's, your ideas, and settings and all that good stuff. PLEASE TELL ME, because I need ideas of multiple people to get the feeling I want. There are some types of characters that I just can't make, or some idea for a character that I won't think of, that's why I need u guys. Perfect example, I suck at making machines, so tell me your machine OC's. I NEED YOU TO GIVE ME IDEAS. If I like ur OC, or your idea, or whatever, I will use it.

Now I know I'm not supposed to have like an "interractive writing" thing, but since 9: Interview of Doom (very funny btw) seems to live off of fan input, I'll take the risk.

So, this is a real project, there will be art, and it will be 9.

I need ideas, and of cource your opinions on:

-should I continue the other series

-are you excited for this.

-ideas for my RP proboard, and wether you would like to help as staff or a member

OK guys, please leave ideas in a PM or review, it's very important to me.


	13. Chapter 13

Well, I said I only needed one person to say something about continuing, and one person did. Thank you, for you made me want to keep telling this story! Also, the secret project is going well, and I will provide links in the next chapter!

**CHAPTER 11: INFINITY**

Dylan casually drove the motorcycle down the dune, the slow rumble of the engine the only sound in the night. A slight wind had picked up, and it was cold across the desert, but the heat from the engine kept the small stitchpunks warm. The light from the city seemed to call to them, beckon them. It was like a lighthouse shining a beacon of light in a black ocean.

"Do you know what this means 9?" 7 asked. Her voice seemed to express the mutual feeling of hope amung the group.

"It means that there were others, we aren't alone." 9 replied, but his gaze between him and the city did not break.

"Been here, all this time, they've been here..." 6 said. His voice was barely above a whisper, and seemed to be talking more to himself then the others, as if he had confirmed a thought he had had in his mind.

"I wouldn't have believed it," 1 said, almost being drawn in along with the others. He quickly caught himself, and let out a slight grunt. "but we don't know how they will react to us."

That was quite true, for all they knew they could be walking into the base of the enemy, but the fact still remained: They weren't alone.

"That doesn't matter, the train is still there." 9 said, "It's just a matter of if we're walking in, or fighting in."

7 shook her head slightly in disbelief, had this adventurous spirit always been in 9, or had something brought it out of him. She blushed slightly, but turned her head to the sky in an attempt to conceal it. She looked at the stars, remembering the night she and 9 had shared together, the night that she had decided to make him the new lightstaff. He was still holding it now, the pack holding all the other attachments on his back.

_"Nights like these are beautifull, for they remind me that the machines can't take everything that's good in the world."_

_"But some things we have to fight for..."_

7's memory was cut short when Dylan spoke up again.

"Alright...here we are."

7 turned her head back in front of her, almost instinctually taking a few steps back to look all the way up.

From the dune the stitches had noticed the city was surrounded by walls of what loooked like scrap metal and wood, but she had never realized how...massive it was. The walls towered high above them, maybe ten or twenty feet high, she wasn't quite sure. She could see now that the wall had been made of salvaged metal and signs of old buildings called "casinos". But one thing stood out, which was clearly how high the wall was. That would have been a strenous task for a group of their kind, practically impossible. That meant a few things to 7: Either there had been a lot of time, or a lot of people- be they human, stitch, machine, or whatever else there was out there.

"How do we get inside?" 9 asked to no one in particular.

"Uhh...we knock?" 8 never really answered directly, and it was more of a question then a statement.

"Oh would you- you are just a complete imbeci-" 1 began to scold 8, but Dylan cut them off.

"Why not?"

Dylan put down the kickstand, and the stitchpunks hopped out of the sidecar. 8 grabbed most of the baggage, and when he leaped out, he sank into the sand up to his thigh. This aroused slight chuckles from the group, but then they realised that they sank in the sand as well.

The group haphazardly made their way over to where Dylan stood, and the boy took off the helmet. His hair was now plastered to his head with sweat, and he immediately wiped his face.

"It's like an oven in that thing."

"WHY would you climb into an oven!" 6 shouted out in concern, but everyone else just laughed.

Dylan turned his head from the stitches back to the wall.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't delay any more."

Dylan lifted his hand and made three thunderous pounds against the wall, the sound echoing around them.

Silence.

Dylan pounded another three times, and even shouted out to those on the other side.

Silence.

Dylan was about to pound another set of knocks, but the stitches noticed a small slot slide open in the wall in front of Dylan's ankle.

"What the 'ell is making all that...BLIMEY!" (phail australien accent is phail)

A single optic appeared at the slot, the other covered with a cloth. The stitchpunk's pupil shrunk to a tiney pinpricks as he saw the massive figure of Dylan in front of him.

The other stitches moved closer to the eyeslot, which caught the hidden stitch's attencion.

"Oi, can ya tell your fleshy friend to stop it? He's gunna attract a lot of attencion with all that racket!"

9 stood closest to the eyeslot, 7 behind him and a little to his left. The twins hid behind 6, thier heads poking out from both of his sides, giving him quite confusion. 5 stood with 2, who were chuckling silently at 6's dismay. 1 and 8 stood nearby, focusing on the eye slot.

"Fleshy?" 9 asked.

"Yeah, fleshy, you know, human? Jeez, some people..." The stitch rolled his optics, "Just tell 'im, alright?"

9 did as he was told, and shouted up to Dylan. The boy decided to just slump against the wall, sinking into a squat.

"Now," the stitch said, "waddaya want?"

"We want to come in to Vegas." 9 said casually.

"Nobody calls this old place _Vegas_ anymore, it's Infinity City now baby!"

"Alright then, we want to come in to Infinity City."

The stitch's optic scanned over every member of 9's group.

"No." and with that, the eye slot shut.

For some reason this sparked anger in 9, and he ran up to the small stitchpunk sized door that the slot was in, pounding against the metal.

"HEY! Get back here!"

The slot opened up again, and the optic looked to be quite angry.

"OI! I told you to stop making so much-"

"Why won't you let us in?" 9 interrupted.

There was silence for a few seconds.

"_Because..._we can't just let anybody get in to Infinity City, get it? It's not _secure."_

9 was about to make a comment, but 6 got his attention. After freeing one of his arms from 4's grasp, the artist made a circle motion with one of his fingers. 9 responded with a confused look, and 6 mouthed the word _source._

9's optics got a little wider at the realization, and turned back to the optic in the eyeslot.

"Well..." 9 unzipped himself, and the optic looked away in some type of instinctual stitchpunk respect.

"Does this change anything?" 9 held out the talisman towards the other stitch, and even from behind the door the single optic figure took a step back from the glowing green light.

"HOLY...why didn't you say you were a member of the order, and a keeper no less!"

"Does that mean I can come in?" 9 asked, putting the talisman away.

"O-of course you can! Let me just...unlock the door..."

The sound of mechanisms being released and shifted could be heard, and then the small stitchpunk door opened up, revealing the full figure.

He was tan fabric, much like the desert, with stitched up wounds in several places. A piece of fabric was wrapped around his right optic, and a poker chip was strapped to his back. He had a belt with several pouches and a knife made from the tooth of some long dead creature.

"Come in, come in!" He said, beckoning with his hand, "Welcome to Infinity City!"

The stitches lined up, going through the door one at a time. As 7 passed the stitch followed her with his eye, but when she shot him a glare his vision quickly snapped away. The stitch did seem to take quite surprise at their numbers, but hid it mostly. 6 passed him wearily, immediately hiding behind 7 once he was past. 8 had to duck and walk sideways to get through the door, and the poker chip stitch backed away at the sight of him. 9 made up the rear, but didn't go through at first. Dylan leaned over and peeked his eye through the door.

"What about me?"

The door stitch waved his hands in a negative fashion.

"No no no no...no humans allowed. Stitches, yes, Machines, yes, Others, yes, but no humans."

"Why not?" 9 asked.

"Because _they_ did this! It took us a long time to get this place working again, and we don't want them ruining the only civilization in the known US of A."

"But-But..." 9 began, but Dylan had already stood up.

"That's fine 9, don't worry about it." Dylan began to make his way back towards the motorcycle.

9 turned, following Dylan with his optics.

"But, where will you go? What are you going to do?"

At this time Dylan was already on top of the motorcycle, helmet in hands.

"I'm going to find my kids."

With that, Dylan put on the helmet, and started the bike. Within minutes, he was gone.


	14. Chapter 14

Oops, sorry guys, I was working on some projects. Good news though, 1. The secret project is going nicely and soon I will give 2 teasers, one of the cast and one of a poster. I'll tell you right now, in the poster make sure to look in the backround for hints on the setting! And next, the other good news is that the RP proboard for new eden, which is related to this series, is up! You can sign up right here and RP with me and meh wonderfull staff: www dot newedenrp9 dot proboards dot com

Finally, one last bit of news. I just watched Inception for the first time (and get this, I understood it) and I was thinking I might either make a fanfiction series about it, or a 9/Inception crossover. So tell me if that interests you. *End Ramble*

**CHAPTER 12: GAMBLE**

9 only came inside Infinity City when he was absolutely sure that Dylan was gone.

_I hope you find them_ was all he could think to say, although the words didn't come out.

So now it was just like it had started, with both the F-series gone as well as their creator, and it was just 9 and his family, and a change of scenery, and...

"So are you ready to explore the exemplorary and UTTERLY facinating world of Infinity City?" the poker-chipped stitch said, getting right in his face.

Yeah...then there's him.

9 backed away awkwardly due to the stitch's strange flip of personality. Ever since he saw that 9 had a talisman, he had been acting much more...kind to him.

9 could see that everyone was beginning to be wrapped up in the beauty that was the city. Glowing lights everywhere, working human buildings that stitches, machines, and others walked in and out of, it was just filled with so much life.

"You know, I think we deserve just a little break, go, have fun guys."

The twins immediately lit up with excitement, pulling 6 by both arms to go on misadventures in the city, the artist made a confuses "Whoooaaoaoah" scream that sent all the others into laughter as the three of them disappeared into the city.

"Perhaps I can...find a new cape." 1 said, and took a few steps around. He stopped when he stepped in some strange dirty brown muck and quickly wiped it on the ground.

"Disgusting! Well I will have none of this." 1 walked over to 8, then began to climb on his back, finally resting on his shoulders.

"Come on now, chop chop." 1 said as he patted the side of 8's face and pointed.

"Uhh...okay..." 8 said and started to carry 1 off.

5 and 2 where already becoming mesmerized at the multiple shops of scrap and other miscellanious items, like two human children in one of those candy stores, and quickly ran off as well.

That left 7, who was still hesitant to leave, as she always was with 9.

"It's fine 7, why don't you find us somewhere to stay?"

After a moment 7 just nodded, then turned to walk away.

The poker-chip stitch's one-eyed gaze followed her backside, but then quickly snapped back remembering what happened last time.

"T-there's a wonderfull place over on Paradice street!" (I believe that is a real street in las vegas)

Now all that left was 9 and the single optic stitch, and the two began to walk and talk.

(that's right kiddies, it's a talky/explanation chapter, but there will be action I swear!)

"So, you never did tell us your name..." 9 began.

"I didn't? Well how rude of me, the name's 1321, and that's thirteen-twenty one, none of that thousand business."

That answered one question, but 9 had so many more.

"And why did you change your mind so quickly about letting us in?"

13-21 turned to 9 with a bewildered look on his face.

"Yer kidding me right? You're a freaking _Keeper,_ why wouldn't I let you in? Everyone knows that you keepers are the most important members of the Order."

9 was about to ask more on this subject, but then remembered something that he hadn't before. When they had all been in the church after arriving in the city, and the Scrappers attacked, there had been that thing...

_The lock! The little metal engraving in the lecturn! That had been made specifically for the talisman, and it had said "The Order" on it!_

Now it all made sense, more or less. Maybe it wasn't present in his old home, but here, in the U.S. there were obviously more stitchpunks. The Scientist himself had been an American, but that wasn't even the most important part.

It had already been proven with the F-series, there were more talismans. This group, the "Order" for some reason reminded him about what 6 had shown him a long time ago. 6 said that there were three major groups fighting, the fighters for Peace, War, and Harmony. 9 had chosen to fight for Harmony, in which the stitches and machines could live together. Now there was another group, the Order. 9 attempted to play on 13-21's knowledge.

"So you know a lot about us huh?" he asked.

"Well of coarse, everybody knows about you guys, it's just the opinions of you that's the difference."

"So then, you know our...full name?" 9 asked, hoping to get more information.

"Geez, didn't expect a pop-quiz, but conversation's conversation I guess..." 13-21 shrugged his shoulders.

"Your full name is the Order of the Talisman, and before you ask I'll even tell 'ya more: The Order of the Talisman has many levels of members in Hiearchy format. You got the trainees who choose what path they're gunna be, then theres the scribes that keep track of all the info and writing and studyin and whatnot, then the guards and fighters, who basicly protect you guys, the keepers."

9 was about to talk, but stopped when he realised 13-21 wasn't finished.

"Then there's the prophets, kinda like that little striped fellow, they're a weird bunch. They say they guide the Order on what to do, but no one knows how they "see" things. Then you got the speakers, kinda like that grumpy old guy that was with ya, you know the one that got a stitchie-back? Yeah, he's just like them, always trying to keep everyone safe while spreading the word. You got the inventors that design all your tech, which I hate to say is probably the best out there. Then of coarse I've already mentioned you, the Keepers, who "keep" those talismans all safe and tuck. So how'd I do?"

9 tried not to widen his optics to much,

"Very impressive, now tell me how people get into the order." Now 9 was thinking ahead, if he was going to win the battle that was sure to come, he'd need more then his family.

"C'mon that wasn't enough? Whatever, I'll bite. The Keepers usually recruit the trainees, and the rest of the order evaluates them while their choosing what they wanna do. The only two things you can't choose are Prophets and Keepers, since you guys are all special and stuff. That means that in the chance a Keeper is lost, the Prophet takes over as a new combined position of Seer."

(as is see-er, not sear)

13-21 and 9 stopped walking as they reached a street corner, and 13-21 looked at each other again.

"Is that why you're here? You guys are recruiting?"

9 could see that 13-21 was about to go into a long ramble, so quickly cut him off.

"That's not our main priority, we need the train."

13-21 was silent, then started to laugh.

"You want the train? You want the TRAIN! Look I get that you're a Keeper, but...jeeze...the train...I just...just can't."

9 was confused.

"What's wrong? Is it not working or something? What?"

"Well ya see, there's several reasons. First, it's a human train, you'd need some of the biggest machines here to operate it, and that ain't easy. Second, the way 'transactions' work here is a little different. You want something, you gamble for it, so the only way to get something is to risk losing something. Depending on what you need, the gamble gets higher, and if you don't have anything, then there's only one thing you can bet. Thankfully in your case the gamble for the train is the same as the gamble for not having anything."

"Which is..." 9 began, not liking where the conversation was going.

"Ummm, ya life..."

9's optics shot wide,

"That's rediculas! I have to risk my life to get on a train!"

The two had began walking again, 13-21 leading 9 to a little shack that looked like he had spent a large amount of his time in.

"It ain't rediculas when whoever goes on that train is in danger of dieing anyway! And I'm guessing that anyone you recruit is going on that thing."

9 was stumped on that point, 13-21 was right.

"But why is there danger? 6- er...my Prophet said that there would be a battle, but it hasn't happened yet!"

Their voices had been rising, attracting the attention of many people walking by, but 13-21 reset his voice to a normal level.

"A battle? A battle? I get it now...I should've known when I saw your numbers. You're a Keeper all right, actually, you're the first keeper, but you didn't know about the Order, you ain't from here...that's not good, you got no idea what your people have been doing. Here, listen to this."

Inside the shack 13-21 flipped on a little radio. Explosions and yelling sounded along with the smashing of stone and the clash of metal against metal.

"This is station number 2-4-B, the Mother's forces are already here!"

13-21 flipped the switch to another channel.

"Station 3-3-C do you read me? We are under attack!"

and again

"Hello? Hello! Station number...number 8-7-H we're overun!"

and again

"HELP! HELP DAMN CREATOR THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!" 13-21 didn't change the last station, there was a sound of a crackle, and then the line went to static. Only then did he turn it off.

"You're not talking about just one battle kid, you're talking about a whole bloody war."


	15. Chapter 15

Super long explanation GO! Okay, sorry for not updating, midterms in school and all that, but, I will get this done! I had a complete OH SH!T moment that every writer loves, where everything clicked. EVERYTHING. I know how it's gunna end, all the plot twists, all the lore, and I'm not telling! Alright, I would like to remind you of a few things. First, my RP thread is still looking for members and staff, to which the site is w w w . newedenrp9 . p r o b o a r d s . c o m.

Now, for stuff about the story, I should just remind you that the group arrived at night, as I'm sure people like to know what the time of day is. Finally, this chapter is COMPLETELY, and I mean completely composed of only forshadowing. This chapter is the second most information rich, so

pay attention. There is only one chapter with more information then this, so let's get to it! Told from 6's perspective.

**CHAPTER 13: BLACK INK, DARK MIND**

_"Yeh, we who wait in the darkness, shall charge into the light, I, the prisoner of my mind."_

Even in the complete blackness of night, the shadows find it hard for a place to lay and linger. The city stands alight, the soft glow of yellow and red and white filling the city with artificial day. 6 wandered the street alone but gleefully, finally having escaped the twins' cling on him. The weirdest thing however was that 6 didn't remember exactly how he had gotten where he was, and seemed to have just...awoken there already walking down the beaten road. His mind wandered, on the situation they were in, the situation they were going into, what 9 would have to face, and how he would help him. But the worst part of all that thinking, was simple, he didn't know.

Everything had gotten so ahead of him! He didn't know what he should do, what he was supposed to know, he just knew he was supposed to know something! How else is he supposed to help 9 if he didn't even know how to help himself?

_Strange._

He couldn't quite put it, but suddenly the world felt...different. Like the wind had changed, it just felt as if there was a...lack...of something.

This caused 6 to look around him, to actually _look_, and actually _see._ It didn't take long to see what was missing.

Everyone.

The streets were completely empty, in a strange...eerie way. Why would the lights be glowing so bright and yet no one walked the streets? Which led to another thing, silence. Cold, lifeless, silence. It was as if the entire city had gone dark, without literally going _dark._

So strange.

However, slowly but surely, a small hum arose. First it was nothing to notice, but it became louder and louder until it was as if a gnat had made a home in his brain. The earth rumbled, then shook, and 6 just stood there, gawking in awe, fear, and confusion.

"Help! HELP US!"

Around the corner several stitches ran, fear in their eyes.

"W-what's happening, why are you running?" 6 reached out to them with his words and hand, but they completely disregarded his existance and just ran on.

"What's happening!" again no one answered.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, getting furious.

Another stitch ran from the corner, and 6 aimed to grab him by the shoulders to force him into answering, but when he stood in front of the stitch with his arms outstretched, the other didn't slow. He kept running, right through 6. That was when he realized it.

The visions had come back.

"No...no! I was fixed! I was normal!"

His voice was cut off by more screaming as one of the buildings exploded into flame, more stitches running past him.

"Bonesaw! The Mother, Heartburn!"

What did these names mean? Who were they, and why did these people run from them?

It looked as if 6 would get his answer, as he could see three large silohuets in the fire, with a fourth, larger one looming behind them. 6 walked closer, more stitches running through his body while he tried to squint and get a better look.

The sky turned blood red, the moon disappearing, the buildings, built so high 6 never had thought he could see the top, began to melt away. Like wax, they oozed down the sides of the structures and into the streets, turning to sand and dirt and mud.

The entire city melted away, the silohuets fading from view. 6 had moved without taking a step, hundreds of miles away. He couldn't tell where he was, but it was another city caked in dirt and death. A large rectangular pool stood in front of him, and at the end of the pool was a tower that seemed to have broken in half, the top had ended in a point much like a pencil.

So much to take in, and yet he didn't understand. The world was empty again, but sounds still aroze.

"It began in ice, an expedition of sorts..."

"Charge! We fight for honor, and the world!" That was 9's voice.

9's reflection appeared in the pool, staring right at 6.

"6...what's going to happen? Will we succeed?"

"I...I don't know 9...I think you know more then me for once..."

The 9 reflection chuckled.

"Maybe so, but...there's something that you need to do for me, can I trust you?"

"You always could 9..."

The reflection unzipped himself, pulling out his talisman, as well as F10's, their glows radiating as if underneath the water.

"To give a life, and to take a life...but together..." 9 put the talismans together, creating the lush white glow 6 remembered.

"A life cycle, an Eden."

6 backed up instinctivly, and the reflection rose out of the water, until 9 stood in front of him. He handed 6 the talisman, who took it questioningly.

"Will you protect it? Keep it safe?"

6 nodded.

"I knew you would."

A small click was heard, and then completely out of nowhere 9 burst into flames, his form disappearing.

"9! 9!" 6 screamed out to him, but he was already gone, and nothing was left for him. The flames shocked 6 so much, he dropped the sphearical talisman. It rolled on the beaten earth, and fell back into the pool. A large column of white light emerging from the water.

F6 walked out, his spirit the same glowing white.

"Brother..." 6 reached out to touch him, but F6 didn't notice.

"Use me...no its for the best...I'll be with them again..."

The world around him faded away, and 6 stood in complete darkness, except for the column of light. F6's image faded away, leaving 6 alone.

"You don't know what it does! You don't know what it's capable of!" a woman's voice

"Yes, I do, and you can't have it! It wasn't meant for us!" 6 didn't know if that was Dylan or F6.

"What are you talking about? Of coarse it was for us! It was left in OUR world, and you're just going to leave it with these...things!"

"It's not our world anymore...it's theirs."

The column disappeared, and 6 was blind, only the sound remained.

Explosions, flames burning, screaming, gasping, metal against metal, the crunch of bone, the yelp of a lover.

A gunshot.

Then 6 woke up.


End file.
